LA FlyAway, Shuttle Service to LAX from Union Station

On October 15, 2010

The price for the FlyAway from Union Station to LAX is now $7.00 each way – $14.00 round trip; still a bargain and a good way to avoid airport traffic and parking. On the website’s right sidebar look for a link to the FlyAway PDFs.

If you’re a harried traveller looking to save on airport parking fees or – as I am – a fan of Union Station or just want to try a little something different when flying into or out of Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) think about using the FlyAway shuttle service from the Patsaouras Transit Plaza at Union Station.

Rear entrance to Union Station

There are a variety of ways to make use of this service: Take the bus or Metrolink to Union Station. From my home in Glendale, the Metrolink train is only $4.75 each way. If the trip is short enough that my car can be left on the street for the duration, this is the way to go. For trips that will extend beyond the limit for parking a vehicle on one side of the street (street parking, something to which I will never become accustomed), parking at Union Station is $6.00 a day including tax that’s better than even parking offsite with a AAA discount at LAX. You do have to build a little extra time into your schedule but not all that much when you consider the time needed to take a shuttle from offsite parking to LAX.

Parking for the FlyAway is on the fourth level (P4) of the garage for the Patsaouras Transit Building. Enter the parking garage from Vignes Street; this requires driving almost entirely around the building. Don’t take the first cut off beyond the front of Union Station as that does not lead to the parking garage; although you will find some pleasant attendants there who have obviously given directions to the FlyAway parking many times previously. Take the elevator back up to the ground level and proceed across the bus paths to the FlyAway hut located on the center island.

Buses run from Union Station to LAX every half hour from 5 a.m. to 1 a.m and every hour between 1 a.m and 5 a.m. Remote ticket and baggage check in are also available for a number of airlines between 4:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. I have never used this service as I like to print out my boarding pass at home as soon as it is available and I just don’t trust the transfer from bus to airport to airline; this, however, says more about me than the service as I would imagine it is pretty reliable. As security becomes tighter and airport baggage check in lines become longer, I may someday take advantage of this amenity as well.

After paying for your trip the buses leave from a stop adjacent to the hut. Allow an hour for the trip to the airport from Union Station although early morning or late night the journey is often times much shorter. The bus lets travellers off at all the airlines in the order they are located in the various LAX terminals. For instance, my airline of choice, Continental, is one of the last stops: Terminal 6.

LA FlyAway Ticket Station

On your return trip, claim your bags if you have any, cross the street directly outside the terminal and find the green signs at the on street waiting area that designate the FlyAway pick up zones. There are now four FlyAway busest – don’t take the wrong one by mistake. Fees are collected at the end of the return trip. Once safely back at Union Station, take the elevator back down to P4 and collect your car/truck/gas guzzling SUV. Don’t follow any of the signs directing you to an exit unless you want to meander endlessly through the bowels of the building. Instead, retrace your tire tracks back up all four floors to the Vignes Street exit.